[1THING] Blog: Archive for March, 2012

Dispatches from the DC Enviro Film Fest

Photo: Bruce Guthrie / DCEFF

When the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital kicked off 20 years ago, it was attended by 1,200 people. Now in its 20th anniversary, the festival draws crowds of over 30,000 at venues around the city. This year's festival which wrapped up last weekend was the biggest yet: 180 films; environmental leaders and big name filmmakers like Ken Burns; packed movie houses around the city. We saw only a small fraction of the movies, but even these few generated lots of exciting discussion. Here’s a run-down of what we saw:

Revenge of the Electric Car

Synopsis: Large automakers (GM, Nissan) and small upstarts (Tesla, Greg Abbott) alike roll out their electric vehicle offerings in the face of dwindling oil supplies and a fluctuating economy. The film focuses on the leadership of these companies, their unique, sometimes over-the-top personalities and their reasons for betting their chips on electric vehicles.

Take Home Message: It was neat to see former GM CEO Bob Lutz, long known for producing gas-guzzlers, embrace the Chevy Volt as his company’s crown jewel. Panelist after the film explained that Revenge captures a specific moment in time and that battery and alternative fuel technology is moving at an even faster pace than the movie portrays. Ultimately, though, the design of our cities will be more central to the future of mobility than the design of our cars.

Synopsis: A proposed wind farm off Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Cape Wind) sets off a firestorm of local and national political debate, legal wrangling, media coverage and strange bedfellows for and against the project. A case study of American politics in action, the film gives each side of the debate equal coverage, revealing the difficulty of reaching consensus on environmental and energy issues.

Take Home Message: It’s important to have good communication with local people when planning energy projects. Other coastal states around the U.S. are considering their own projects – will they be as contentious as Cape Wind was? Meanwhile, Europe churns out energy from its own 53 offshore wind farms.

Synopsis: Most of us take the word “progress” for granted, particularly technological and economic progress. This film, produced by Martin Scorsese, proposes that conventional notions of progress are actually putting us on a collision course with environmental disaster. Based on Ronald Wright’s best-selling book, A Short History of Progress, the film is grand in scope and visually stunning.

Take Home Message: The technological solutions that we create to address environmental problems often cause new problems. In the end, the most important changes should come not from technological innovation, but changes to our cultural values. Start by asking yourself what the most important things in your life are (loved ones, strong communities, health, purpose) and build solutions from there.

Take Home Message: Nature’s persistent character provides solace for those suffering under even the most horrible circumstances. To hear survivors talk about their personal reflections on cherry blossoms while in the midst of tragedy captures the sorrow and remarkable tenacity of the human spirit.

Synopsis: A film crew and domestic journalists visit rural villages in China to help local people find their voice in the fight against dam projects. The film also looks at the history of environmentalism in China from its dark days under Mao’s Zedong’s Cultural Revolution to today's glimmers of democratic protest.

Take Home Message: Stories about environmental issues in China tend to focus on global competition for energy resources (where China’s growth is often used as a scapegoat for inaction elsewhere), factory conditions or pollution. Waking the Green Tiger interviews some of the strongest voices in China’s domestic environmental movement, providing a different and hopeful perspective on the country’s challenges. Also shows how closely cultural survival is linked to environmental concerns in places like China’s wild and beautiful west.

Synopsis: Providing much-needed historical and global context to today’s environmental challenges, A Fierce Green Fire charts the origins of the modern environmental movement along with its major players, its setbacks, victories and future challenges.

Take Home Message: Whether it was the Sierra Club working to prevent dams in the Grand Canyon or homeowners fighting for their family’s health during the Love Canal crisis, environmental activists have always had to work against great forces to get their voices heard. Still, contemporary issues like global warming and the rapid loss of biodiversity present an even greater imperative to work together for the future of the planet. Inspiring.

Green Tips: Sustainable Investing

Photo: Benny Lin/Flickr

So you volunteer and make responsible purchasing decisions and give to environmental charities through the EarthShare @ Work program, but is it possible your retirement fund and other investments are undermining those efforts? How can you ensure that your financial investments aren’t hurting the planet? Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and Impact Investing offer ways to finance businesses that are doing good while securing your financial future.

Here are some tips for getting into green investing:

Examine your holdings. Have you ever taken a careful look through the holdings in your mutual funds? Surprised to find some industries in there you find distasteful? The first step in green investing is understanding how your money is being used and asking if your personal financial gains are worth the cost to the environment or society.

Ask your financial advisor if they offer socially responsible mutual funds. Most of the common financial companies now offer such options. In addition to environmental concerns, they may also screen for human rights, product safety and more. Make sure you understand the methods used to screen the companies in these funds.

Consider green investment companies. Besides the major financial companies that offer SRI options, there are many well-established companies that specialize exclusively in SRI funds. These include Calvert, Pax World, Winslow Green, and Domini among others. Check out socialfunds.com to learn more.

Do some research. Read the fine print tofind out about fees you might have to pay. Decide whether you’d like to invest in small or large companies, domestic or international, or some mix. SRI funds have slightly underperformed their less scrutinizing counterparts historically, so plug your fund’s code into a website like Morningstar to get a sense of potential returns.

Invest in the community. Investing doesn’t have to be a dry, distant process. Many sites like Kickstarter, Kiva and Acumen Fund allow you to interact with the people benefited by your investment and stay engaged with the results. Whether you want to help someone set up an urban farm in North Carolina or run a small textile business in India, small-scale investing is rewarding beyond a financial statement.

Go beyond mutual funds. Have a friend who’s trying to start up a clean tech company? If you’re savvy enough, you might consider buying individual stocks in companies you care about. Find a green financial advisor or read books on the topic for advice on this trickier, but potentially more rewarding, domain.

Get active. As a stockholder, you have more sway with a company than the average person, so use your position to advocate for sustainable change. Known as “shareholder activism” stockholders can attend annual meetings, participate in proxy votes, communicate with management and more to suggest changes to company policies. Shareholders at ExxonMobil, for example, petitioned the company to take stronger steps to address climate change.

Socially responsible investment is a means to interact with your money beyond mere numbers. With SRI, you can harness the power of your investments for the betterment of society and the planet.

[The content here is provided for your personal information only, is not intended for trading purposes, and cannot substitute for professional financial advice. Always seek advice of a competent financial advisor with any questions you may have regarding a financial matter.]

In Conservation, Youths’ Actions Speak Loudest

A recent study purports that, based on four decades of youth surveys, Millennials are less inclined than Generation X or Baby Boomers to protect our environment.

I frankly have a hard time buying that.

When comparing generations, it must be noted that 40 years ago, Earth Day was brand new and the idea of being an “environmentalist” was considered rather radical. Since then, views and practices have changed significantly. We no longer take for granted resources like clean air and water, and most Americans practice at least some degree of conservation. It’s part of a modern lifestyle and young people often don’t feel the need to report these actions – they just take them.

Ironically, as this new study broke, SCA was hosting a record number of college students in nationwide “alternative spring break” programs at national parks across America. The leadership example set by these and other outstanding young stewards provides an important counterbalance to the Millennial study.

At Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, 30 college students spent their spring break reforesting a burned-out hillside and pulling invasive plants “as big as Saint Bernards” according to one participant. “During one particularly miserable dig,” recalled Jonathan Shafer, an Auburn University grad student, “two of us took turns hewing our way through what felt like solid rock. After half an hour’s work, we managed to dig a hole 18 inches deep, just big enough to settle a new Joshua Tree. As a group, we repeated this task 105 times over several acres of the burn site.

“None of us really wants to go back to school,” Jonathan continued. “But we return home with a new respect for natural spaces, our impact on them, and the importance of maintaining them for future generations.”

Taylor Holan is a first-year student at John Carroll University in Ohio, who joined an SCA crew in the Everglades to remove noxious Brazilian pepper plants from the park’s infamous Hole-in-the Donut. In our wired world, Taylor believes conservation service prevents nature from “getting lost among all those gigabytes floating around.”

“I’m here,” she notes, “to learn as much as I can in the Everglades – about ecosystems, threatened species, restoration plans, and more – and share that knowledge with anyone willing to listen. When someone has a passion for something, it’s contagious, and I plan on infecting everyone around me.”

In an op-ed column in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, SCA’s Timarko Mitchell, a student at UA Pine Bluff, wrote eloquently about why he applied to NPS Academy, a workforce diversity program jointly sponsored by SCA and the National Park Service designed to prepare underrepresented students for park careers. “Our national parks, monuments, battlefields and historic sites are permanent gifts to our country, touchstones of a common legacy. In many ways, they represent the soul of America. I look forward to helping other people—young and old, of all colors and cultures—celebrate our diverse national heritage.”

Timarko closed his column by noting the newest national park is the memorial in Washington, D.C. to Dr. Martin Luther King, and then quoted King as saying “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Timarko’s message is hardly that of a disengaged Millennial.

As national service surges in popularity thanks to waves of young adults who seek only to only give back, conservation is consistently among their top priorities. When federal officials conducted their recent America’s Great Outdoors listening tour, they asked young people what they most wanted from government. The answer: more service and career opportunities in national parks, forests and other public lands. And as summer approaches, SCA is looking at yet another all-time high in applications.

I’m sure there is much to be learned from those 40 years of surveys but over the past 55 years, more than 65,000 young men and women have protected nature through SCA and many more have served with other corps.

Green Quiz Challenge – Film Industry Footprint

Lots of movie stars get press for their commitment to environmental causes, whether it’s Leonardo DiCaprio for his work with tiger conservation, Mark Ruffalo for his fight against gas fracking or Cameron Diaz’s involvement with environmental books, concerts and film. But making movies carries a heavy carbon footprint with its demanding electricity needs. LA’s film industry, in fact, is the second-largest polluter in the city, next to the oil industry!

Syriana, a political thriller about the global oil industry was a natural candidate for carbon offsetting. The plot follows a cast of characters including a CIA agent, energy analyst, refinery workers, and the prince of a Gulf country as they clamor for the world’s dwindling oil supplies. Warner Bros. Pictures and Participant Productions offset 100% of the film’s production emissions (travel, hotel use, generators, shipping, and more) by helping to fund the construction of a methane generator and wind farm on native land in the Midwest through NativeEnergy. The production company chose to offset the film’s emissions because “Participant exists to use films as a means for social change and this is one more way we can lead by example and help to bring awareness to the industry that offsetting carbon dioxide emissions is a viable option.”

Volunteers are also invited to the post-cleanup Earth Day Celebration at Kingman Island for free food and entertainment! Come share the satisfaction that comes with taking care of our communities and natural resources!

New York State seems to be balking at the idea of riddling our countryside with natural gas production. The rise in public concern over Fracking in New York State and current low natural gas prices appear to be giving the gas companies the jitters. Some perceive that NYS is over-regulating the drilling industry, which might mean that the boom could go bust.

Amidst myriad other issues related to Fracking—increased road wear by heavy trucks, possible conflicts with mortgages, well water contamination, possible earthquakes, public health concerns, and many more problems—some may be wondering if there is a chance NYS will miss the Fracking boom altogether. And if so, might this loss of opportunity for the fossil fuel industry make way for the next opportunity for all New York State businesses—the financial boom that will come as the Likely Changes due to Climate Change drive water-thirsty folks in the Southern and Western United States back to New York?

No matter how indifferent you are to how we use our energy and whether our energy consumption will affect Climate Change, you can’t have missed the ruckus caused by the Fracking issue.

Here’s the worry pro-Fracking people envision:

Fracking boom could go bust in N.Y. But with that not-in-my-backyard movement growing and the state proposing the nation’s toughest fracking controls, gas companies that flocked to the state several years ago are now downsizing or pulling up stakes. Add it all up, and New York’s once-envisioned gas boom is starting to look like a bust. “I think we’re losing the battle,” conceded Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Operators Association of New York State. (November 31, 2011) The Buffalo News

While other states have rolled over for the promise of jobs and great wealth, New York State has proved to be more resistant to the lure of short-term gains at the expense of possible long-term environmental issues. One by one, communities in New York are balking at Fracking. At present the courts are holding up their claims.

Another hydrofracking ruling backs home rule ALBANY — For the second time in a week, a state Supreme Court judge has upheld the ability of municipalities to ban hydraulic fracturing and gas drilling within their limits. Otsego County Acting Supreme Court Justice Donald Cerio ruled late Friday that the town of Middlefield was within its rights under state law when it passed a ban on oil and gas drilling in June. (February 25, 2012) Democrat and Chronicle .

Whether NYS lifts its present Fracking moratorium, deciding instead to support Home Rule laws that impose local moratoriums on Fracking, it’s still going to take a while for our state to begin drilling. The governor and DEC chief promised that they wouldn’t go ahead with Fracking until it was safe. And it’s going to take some time to sift through all the tens of thousands of public comments made to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with a staff that has already been gutted by state budget cuts.

Seen from a longer perspective than the recent fracas over Fracking, New York State has historically been leery of using our own backyard to power our lives. We have fought wind, nuclear, and other power options. Much of America’s view that government should curb the excesses of the free market to protect our environment has come from New York State—highlighted in the environmental accomplishments of two NYS governors-turned-presidents, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt. The Adirondacks, the largest park in the continental US, resides in New York, so too the Love Canal catastrophe that produced the Superfund for cleaning up industrial messes.

I could give you a list a mile long of things I’m not good at. Cooking, golf, html, doing the dishes…

But being a 20-something female, there is definitely something I consider myself an expert at. Shoes. I think Carrie Bradshaw said it best on an episode of Sex & The City – “Men I may not know. But SHOES I KNOW!”

So what does tearing through the sales rack to find a killer pair of heels have to do with the environment? Plenty. Just by keeping a few simple tricks and tips in mind when shopping for a girl’s favorite accessory can do wonders for our world AND for your wallet.

Think about buying used. Stores like the Salvation Army and Goodwill are full of gently-worn shoes at a fraction of the cost of a brand new pair.

Repair instead of replacing. Instead of wasting money and resources buying a brand new pair of shoes when your heel gives out, take them to a local cobbler and have them fixed up to look like new again.

Look for shoes made in the good ol’ US of A to reduce your chances of supporting sweatshop labor. If you want to take it even further, look for shoes that are “Union Made.” (You can find retailers at UnionLabel.org)

Look for kicks made of eco-friendly materials. A lot of shoes are made from PVC, which is made from petroleum. Ick. Stick with shoes made out of recycled rubber or plastic, hemp, and are put together with water-based glue.

Shop online so you’re not releasing emissions driving to the mall. Several good websites have free returns with your purchase in case a pair pinches. Also, have your shoes shipped to the office instead of home to save package carriers from making extra stops (wasting gas and energy). Oh, and having your shoes come to work is also a good excuse to break ’em out and show off your new strappy sandals to your co-workers.

Catching up with Bethesda Green

David Feldman was working for the British Embassy in the 2000s, helping businesses from the U.S. set up shop in the U.K. and vice versa when he was struck by how aggressively the U.K. was courting clean energy and other sustainable companies. The U.S., meanwhile, lagged behind on such ventures. Recognizing that green businesses here could use a champion, Feldman left the service of the Queen in 2007 and joined a consultancy, The Livability Project, to help communities in the U.S. grow sustainable infrastructure and services.

The consultancy has helped a handful of cities in Maryland and California establish green community hubs through some combination of public/private/nonprofit partnerships. Earlier this month, EarthShare had a chance to tour one of the country’s most successful models, the nonprofit Bethesda Green, founded in 2009.

Bethesda Green, an EarthShare Mid-Atlantic member charity based in the Maryland city of the same name, has established a plethora of programs and events that benefit the community including a city recycling bin fundraiser, a green internship fair, and local farm visits. They also hold workshops on everything from clean tech and building efficiency to composting. But perhaps their most unique program has been their Green Incubator.

Business incubators aren’t a new idea, but an incubator devoted to green ventures is a rarity (do a web search on “green incubator” and you’ll find Bethesda Green has all the top hits). The incubator supports 14 businesses and nonprofits from a LEED certification specialist and rain barrel company to an environmental filmmaker and local nature conservancy. The many organizations share a welcoming space in a downtown Bethesda building provided by Capital One. Offices, educational displays and meeting rooms fill the suite.

Heather Phipps, program manager at the nonprofit Rock Creek Conservancy (one of the incubator organizations) agrees. “It’s been a wonderful partnership for us,” she says. “It’s a hotbed of green activity.” The other tenants echo the sentiment: having many passionate, environmentally-minded people gathered in one place is a great source of creativity and support.

Monthly incubator meetings, guest speakers, a partnership with the University of Maryland and strong relationships with the local chamber of commerce, businesses and government bodies have allowed the incubator to flourish after just three years. Now many other city leaders in the region are coming to the incubator to learn how to set up similar programs in their own communities.

“We’ve done an incredible amount with very little money,” Feldman says. Funding for Bethesda Green comes primarily from corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations. Other sources include the incubator’s own revenue, events, donations, foundation support, local government funds, and the EarthShare @ Work giving program.

While this particular funding mix has worked for Bethesda Green, programs elsewhere may have a different approach depending on their community’s resources.

Feldman has found that communities seldom lack for an interest in sustainability; they often just don’t know how to assess their resources or implement their ideas. “Part of what we do is connect the dots and accelerate the process,” he says.

Bethesda Green has proven to be a test kitchen of sorts for sustainable business. Feldman sees the organization growing not necessarily in size, but in results and connections, ensuring its example will be adopted around the region and beyond.

The Next Generation of Green IT

Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK has one of the few Green Computing degree programs in the world. We asked the program’s founder, Colin Pattinson, to tell us about the future of sustainable IT as both a field of study and an industry mindset.

How did you become interested in green computing?

My PhD work was in measuring the performance of network protocols. It’s a small step from measuring and controlling data transfer rates and system behavior in a network to measuring and controlling energy use.

Many of the first initiatives in energy saving often landed on the network and system managers’ desk: things like virtualization of servers and desktop power management are network and system changes. As IT uses 10-20% of a typical organization’s electricity, changes in IT can make a difference. We are currently exploring what data center changes have the greatest effect.

More recently, there’s been a shift from saving energy in IT to saving energy by IT: using technology to manage and control other aspects of operations. This is best seen in areas like smart meters; smart transport systems; smart homes, etc. We are currently running a project in the university to connect the room timetabling system with the heating and lighting controls to make heat and light follow room use more closely.

Where did the idea for this program come from?

We recognized that demand for people with the skills and knowledge needed to take on the “green IT” role will grow. In large organizations there may well be a full job role; in smaller companies, the role might be combined with that of the network/system manager. We also expect there to be a growing consultancy demand. The program is aimed at people who have been in the industry for a few years, often in technical management roles who wish to develop their skills.

How is sustainability viewed within the IT industry in general?

It’s very mixed. To some it’s a central part of what they do and who they are; others see it as a marketing opportunity; others as a cost saving, yet others as an expense or a collection of red tape to be adhered to (or avoided).

What achievements has the IT industry made in sustainability? Where is there still much work to be done?

Most of the so-called quick wins are fairly well known by now: server virtualization, lower energy PCs and monitors, and power management at the desktop have made a difference in traditional workstation server environments; and alternative approaches to service provision like cloud and thin client are promoted for a combination of power and operational efficiency.

These achievements have all been based around changing the way the technology operates: the challenge now is to make changes to the behavior of the users: print management leading to reduced paper use; automation of environmental controls and reductions in travel are all likely to affect people’s life and work. This is very important, but much more difficult to achieve without creating user resistance and rejection.

What recommendations would you give to those trying to start similar programs in their own university?

Make sure that potential students and employers are aware of the program; involve students from other programs in related areas of study in project work; ensure there is a strong connection between what is taught and what is researched; try to get others in the university involved (e.g. computer services, estates department); realize that the program is likely to be a niche area rather than a major part of the provision.

What’s one of the easiest actions that organizations can take to reduce the footprint of their IT department?

Beyond the technology-based quick wins listed above, the best thing is to get staff engagement with the cause and its purpose. Making it clear that there are real money savings from more efficient use of resources is likely to be more widely supported if employees can see the benefits – some organizations do this by direct reward, others through awareness-raising.